Envisioning Health Hubs for Chicago
Clients: Chicago Department of Public Health
Challenge: The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is organized to provide guidance, services, and strategies that make Chicago a healthier and safer city. However, the pandemic and demand for adding City-run mental health clinics have pushed the agency to increase the types of direct services provided to the public. Because Civic Consulting Alliance and its pro bono partners had recently worked with CDPH to expand its promising mental health crisis response program, we were asked to support the department to form a preliminary vision and strategy for CDPH to develop potential models for community health hubs that not only add mental health services, but other services that are responsive to community needs.
Action: In Spring 2024, Civic Consulting Alliance worked with CDPH leadership to understand the supply and demand of key health services (particularly post-pandemic), as well as how other health departments are leading the way in publicly provided direct services. Once the fact base was established, we built a visioning workshop to align on the vision and key choices for the new health hubs. This work culminated in a high-level operational roadmap with considerations for staffing, technology, and budget.
Result: The new vision represents CDPH’s amplified role as a connector to convene trusted community health providers and ensure all people can access these resources. The health hubs will address significant health gaps in underserved communities, create community connection through a central gathering space, and improve long-term health outcomes for the people of Chicago.
